JERTIH, May 19 — Residents of Kampung Alor Belanga near Kampung Alor Keladi here are concerned over the presence of a sun bear that has been roaming the village in search of food since April.

Alor Belanga Federal Village Development and Security Committee (JPKKP) chairman Abdullah Hassan said the wild animal has been spotted more frequently around the village at night and in the early morning in recent weeks.

“Previously, the bear only damaged stingless bee hives and coconut trees to feed on honey and coconuts, but lately it has allegedly attacked and eaten villagers’ livestock.

“The latest incident occurred last Thursday when the bear attacked and ate a resident’s goat. It had also preyed on other domesticated animals belonging to villagers,” he told Bernama today.

Abdullah said he has reported the matter to the Terengganu Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), which is expected to take immediate action.

Resident and logger Muhammad Isazuali Mohd Yusof, 27, said his female goat was found dead about 10 metres inside bushes behind his house and is believed to have been attacked by the bear.

He said the goat, which had been tethered near his house, went missing last Friday morning. After searching for it, he found the carcass with some of its internal organs missing.

“About a week before the incident, two of my stingless bee hives were destroyed by the bear,” he said, adding that he was worried about the safety of villagers.

Another resident, Abd Aziz Nasir, 51, said five of his 10 stingless bee hives were damaged by the bear recently, which also destroyed several coconut trees he had planted.

“The bear has come near my house three times. I am very worried about the safety of my family, especially my mother, who is in her 70s and often spends time in the yard every morning,” he said. — Bernama

 

 

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SINGAPORE: An Indian content creator living in Singapore has received a lot of attention after her recent Instagram video, where she highlighted the fact that picking fruit that fell from public trees can come at a very high price.

“Mango / $5000 fine #Singapore #Indian currency 3.74 lakhs,” wrote Priyanka Sinha (@ppriyankasinha) in the caption of her May 9 post.

In it, she showed fallen mangoes on what appeared to be the grounds of an HDB block, as well as those that are still on a tree.

Her post seems to have puzzled other Instagram users, who asked about the reason why people would be fined for picking the fruit. 

A couple of commenters wrote that “India is the best,” where the laws aren’t as strict as they are in Singapore. The post created quite a stir in India, where it was covered by a number of local media outlets.

Since it’s mango season in Singapore as well as other parts of Asia, including India, Ms Sinha’s warning is a timely one for those who may be unaware that under the city-state’s Parks and Trees Act, fruit growing on public land is considered government property. You can neither collect fruit that falls to the ground nor pluck fruits that are still on trees without permission from the National Parks Board (NParks). Otherwise, as she pointed out, people may face fines of up to S$5,000.

The law does not just apply to fruit, however, since even cutting the leaves of plants found on public ground is not permitted.

In January 2018, a worker from Bangladesh was seen taking leaves from a Syzygium myrtifolium tree, which is also known as the Kelat Oil or Red Lip tree. After pictures of a notice of offence that he had been issued were shared on social media, his employer appealed to NParks on his behalf, and his composition fine was reduced to a warning.

Other offenders have not been so lucky. An individual who took two Kopsia singapurensis saplings, which are critically endangered, was slapped with a S$3,000 fine.

In 2019, Lawrence Wong, who was then Minister of National Development, said in Parliament, “NParks manages most of the trees on state land. Members of the public who wish to pluck fruit from trees, or  collect fruit that has dropped from trees on state land, should approach NParks for permission.” /TISG

Read also: Singaporean man warns against Aljunied durian vendor with ‘unethical’ sales tactics

This article (Indian woman in Singapore warns of $5000 fine for picking up fallen mangoes) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

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